Aaron Swartz believed in making intellectual knowledge readily accessible for free. If you ever wanted quick access to journal articles but weren’t a part of an academic institution and didn’t live close to a library that carried what you needed, you likely understand the frustration of only being able to see the abstract online without forking out money to buy the full article. He had good intentions, if not ethical methods. Now he’s apparently taken his own life, in part because he faced prosecution.. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/technology/aaron-swartz-internet-activist-dies-at-26.html?_r=0

Often the discussion about so-called beauty pageants turns to whether these contests contribute to the objectification of women or their empowerment. But tonight a large focus will be on contestants for entirely different reasons.

Allyn Rose is a 24-year-old, representing Washington, D.C., who will be undergoing a double mastectomy after the pageant. Allyn’s mother, grandmother, and great aunt all died of breast cancer. She’s taking this step as a preventative measure.

Mariah Cary–no, not the singer (Carey)–has Tourette’s Syndrome and she will represent Iowa. Mariah was diagnosed when she was 8 years old. The Burlington, Iowa native has made Tourette’s her platform.

And then there’s Alexis Wineman. The 18-year-old Miss Montana has autism, borderline Asperger’s syndrome. Alexis learned she has autism when she was eleven. As Miss Montana and as a Miss American contestant, she has made living with autism her platform.

It would be wonderful if any of these women–or any of the other contestants with personally inspirational stories that have gone un- or under-reported–would win, because they could use the crown to spread greater awareness about their personal issues. However, they’ve shown that competing locally, winning in their respective states/districts, and being in the paegant have already given them a larger platform to educate people. A Miss America they’d have even greater recognition.

After the rush online and in other media to identify autism as the reason why the horrendous murders in Sandy Hook took place, it would be especially great if Alexis Wineman took the crown. She has shown and will continue to show that just as with people who do not have autism have many faces (i.e. great diversity), so do people that have autism.

News that the shooter, murderer in the Sandy Hook tragedy, might have been living with Asberger’s Syndrome has unfortunately paved the way for some to point to the disorder as an explanation as to why he took a gun and murdered innocent people.

Using Asberger’s or any form of autism as a scapegoat is ridiculous. While we need to learn more about autism, we do know that most people living with it do not turn into mass murderers or even violent people who would harm others if only given the opportunity.

While the need to find answers in the wake of any tragedy is great and shared by most concerned people, grabbing for quick facts or rumors and trying to form them into a motive is a very dangerous, and ignorant, thing.

Most murderers are not living with autism or any other developmental disorder or for that matter, mental or emotional disorders. Do those of us who are not living with developmental, mental, or emotional disorders look at ourselves in the mirror when a murder takes place and shudder in horror at the face staring back? Do we run to get professional help because someone “like us”, living with or without what we are living with or without, has committed a heinous crime. Do we run away when we see others who we believe to be living with no developmental disorders or emotional or mental problems on the streets or in our schools or workplaces because we have stereotyped them as potentially violent and dangerous beings?